The issue of how small-scale farmers in developing countries could benefit from scientific breeding progress and access seeds of good quality is highly topical. Where local seed systems are
under pressure, community seed banks could offer new opportunities for farmers to manage and access seeds and hence contribute to food security. Furthermore, breeding activities of
the private and public sectors, if directed towards the needs of small-scale farmers, help to increase productivity of farming systems and open up new opportunities for income generation.
However, intellectual property rights on new varieties of plants, often providing a strong legal basis for plant breeders to limit the farmers’ customary practices of saving,
using and sharing seeds, are a debated issue in this regard. Alternative sui generis systems to plant variety protection offer options for balancing the diverging interests of different
actors in the seed market and provide discretion to governments to address food security, biodiversity conservation and intellectual property rights in an integrated way.

Four key note speakers will enlighten different aspects of these topics and invite for
discussion.

Finger food for lunch will be provided. Please register as soon as possible. Registered participants
will get as a gift the book “Community seed banks: origins, evolution and prospects”.
For registration please contact: Maria Hoehne (maria.hoehne@giz.de)

Abstract: FAO carried out agricultural production and diversification programs in Malawi (IFSN) and Cambodia (MALIS) in combination with a nutrition education for behavior change
intervention targeted at families with children aged 6 - 23 months (Malawi: 2011 - 2015; Cambodia: 2012 - 2015). The research team from the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural
Resources (Lunar), Malawi, Mahidol University (Thailand) and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany, carried out cluster randomized controlled trials (cRCT) in the communities targeted by the
FAO programs. Cross-sectional surveys were conducted to assess child nutrition outcomes, including intermediate outcomes such as maternal acquisition of knowledge and adoption of optimal
nutrition practices. Qualitative methods were used together with results of longitudinal studies to evaluate and learn about possible impact pathways.

About the speaker: Dr. Irmgard Jordan studied nutritional sciences and home economics at the Justus Liebig University, Giessen in Germany. She wrote her master’s thesis about the
role of indigenous plants for nutrition security. After her studies she looked at the potential roles of energy -saving stoves for nutrition security in Africa and nutrition security in Sri
Lanka. In 2005, she started a research study on breast cancer and nutrition in the Kilimanjaro Region of Tanzania, linking international and clinical nutrition. This research resulted in a
doctoral degree in 2012. Her present research focuses on effectiveness of nutrition education and food security to improve the nutritional status of infants and young children in Malawi and
Cambodia.

Entrance to the lecture is free, no registration is required. We are looking forward to seeing you at ZEF on September 10!

II International Symposium on Pyrethrum, Kyoto (Japan), 6-9 August 2015

The ISHS II International Symposium on Pyrethrum is devoted to understanding the current status of pyrethrum production, stewardship, biosynthesis and applications of the natural insecticides,
pyrethrins. In addition, this Symposium addresses the selective toxicity and resistance mechanisms of synthetic pyrethroids as well as natural pyrethrins. The actions on pests, natural enemies
and plants of volatiles derived from pyrethrin biosynthesis will also be examined.

Invited speakers (including plenary lecturers): please submit your abstract at the latest by March 31, 2015.
Participants who would like to present a poster: please submit your abstract at the latest by May 31, 2015.

The “III International Symposium on Postharvest Pathology: Using Science to Increase Food Availability” will be held in Bari (Italy), June 7-11, 2015, under the patronage of the International
Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS), the International Society of Plant Pathology (ISPP), the Italian Phytopathological Society (SIPaV) and EXPO2015.
The symposium will include invited lectures, contributed oral and poster presentations, and exhibitions. Opportunities to visit packinghouses, production sites, and places of local interest
during the symposium will also be arranged.

Professor Rod Drew teaches horticulture and plant biotechnology and does research on tropical fruits. His main expertise is in plant tissue culture. Before working at Griffith University for 18
years, he worked for 26 years in the Queensland Government Department of Primary Industries.

The event will take place
On Thursday 7th May, 2015, 4:15 to 5:45 pm
In Lecture Hall A, Institute of Anatomy, Nussallee 10, 53115 Bonn

2nd International Workshop on Bacterial diseases of Stone Fruits and Nuts 21-24 April 2015, Izmir, TURKEY

You are cordially invited to attend the 2nd International Workshop on bacterial diseases of Stone fruits and nuts in Izmir, Turkey. The meeting will cover all the aspects of research on bacterial
diseases of Stone fruits and nuts, presenting the latest advances in relevant fields such as host and pathogen genetics/genomics, host-pathogen interactions and behaviour, disease epidemiology
and ecology, pathogen identification, resistance breeding, chemical/biological control and disease management strategies.

All contributions addressing these topics are welcome. The meeting will include invited and contributed talks as well as poster and discussion sessions. More information is available at:
http://www.stonefruitsandsnuts2015.org. The conference language is English. Deadline for abstract submission is 30 January 2015.